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Monday, August 27, 2012

San Onofre exits both Unusual Events (Press Release)

Below is a press release just received (12:45 AM Eastern) from SCE courtesy Jennifer Manfre.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact: Media Relations (626) 302-2255

San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station Exits Both Unusual Events Triggered by Earthquakes Near Mexico Border

SAN ONOFRE, Calif. , Aug. 26, 2012 – At 8:17 p.m. Pacific Time today, the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) exited the two Notice of Unusual Events that had been declared following two earthquakes that were felt in the control room at the plant.

At 12:39 p.m., the station declared its first Notice of Unusual Event after an earthquake was felt. Shortly thereafter, a second earthquake was felt in the SONGS control room and another Notice of Unusual Event was declared at 2:03 p.m. At no time was there a threat to the public or employees at the plant.

The station received reports of earthquakes near the Mexico border. The earthquakes did not activate any seismic alarms around the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. Peak ground acceleration, a more meaningful way to measure an earthquake’s potential impact — that is, how hard the earth shakes at a specific location — was not significant enough to be measurable at the plant.

The plant has been off-line since earlier this year, and there is no safety risk for the public or SONGS employees.

Both declarations followed the protocols set by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission which also included notification of state and community partners. All notifications have been made.
For more information about the plant, please visit www.SONGScommunity.com, or follow us on Twitter @SCE_SONGS and on www.facebook.com/sce.

The San Onofre plant is jointly owned by SCE (78.21%), San Diego Gas & Electric (20%), and the city of Riverside (1.79%).

About Southern California Edison
An Edison International (NYSE:EIX) company, Southern California Edison is one of the nation’s largest electric utilities, serving a population of nearly 14 million via 4.9 million customer accounts in a 50,000-square-mile service area within Central, Coastal and Southern California.